Season 11 Episode 1 Start Date

[X]

Lock and load your phasers ladies and gentlemen. In seven days. That's right, Seven days! We shall bold go where no one has gone before ... again.

On January 10, 2010, the newest edition to the RPG takes flight. A few days before that glorious day, we will post the opening post to set the scene for the season and give all you lovely creative types time to craft imagination to typed word.

Any new characters should be submitted and posted by then.

We will also soon be updating the boards to reflect what player characters are still active in the story.

So, let Meds and I officially welcome one and all to the Season 11 Episode 1 countdown.

[Feathers]

I was going to ask about story context but I guess the initial post will answer those sorts of questions.

[X]

The story of episode one will be laid out in the post, but I can throw it out here to get you kind folk ready.

This episode will deal with solving the murder cliff hanger from last season and changes in the ship and her crew. If we're lucky, we'll have more than enough for everyone to be a part of the A or B story.

[Feathers]

I guess I was thinking more that I didn't want to write a first post meeting a NPC in the turbolift or being en-route to visit someone for a later joint post if the opening then put the characters I referenced somewhere completely different from where I'd assumed them to be.

As I say, seeing the opening post early enough will solve all those issues so there shouldn't be an issue.

[Shelby D]

The story of episode one will be laid out in the post, but I can throw it out here to get you kind folk ready.

This episode will deal with solving the murder cliff hanger from last season and changes in the ship and her crew. If we're lucky, we'll have more than enough for everyone to be a part of the A or B story.

Oh....The murder will be solved in the first post. Sounds like you have it all in hand then Chris. Sounds like plan.

[X]

The story of episode one will be laid out in the post, but I can throw it out here to get you kind folk ready.

This episode will deal with solving the murder cliff hanger from last season and changes in the ship and her crew. If we're lucky, we'll have more than enough for everyone to be a part of the A or B story.

Oh....The murder will be solved in the first post. Sounds like you have it all in hand then Chris. Sounds like plan.

Note that it said the episode will deal with solving the murder and the story of the episode will be laid out in the first post. It didn't say that the murder would be solved in the first post.

I don't know why you assumed that the murder would be solved in the first post, but I hope that clears it all up.

Yes, we do have a direction for the story. Yes, that direction will be setup in the first post.

[Bryancd]

I'm confused. I thought we would have a chance to establish where our characters are right at the time of the murder of Navash? I know my character is no where near where she needs to be right now.

[X]

I'm confused. I thought we would have a chance to establish where our characters are right at the time of the murder of Navash? I know my character is no where near where she needs to be right now.

Sorry to confuse you Bryan, but perhaps I can explain it better. Due to a lot of extra things happening to transition the story and the characters and to put people aboard the Arabella in a position to investigate the murder we have to move things forward a few days to cover all of that.

Were we to jump into the story directly following the murder, a good chunk of the story would be reduced to meeting, gathering a team, and giving the player characters the authority to pursue the investigation. As it stands, a romulan was murdered on a romulan owned station in romulan space, in a romulan sector of that station.

We needed to jump things forward so that the people investigation would have the authority to do so and rather than spend a month trying to give them that authority, a slight jump forward.

I also believe that the location of where people were during the murder would be established during the interview process of individual suspects. If you look at it from a movie perspective, the story will pick up right as a majority of the evidence is being processed and some of those results are in. With the current idea, Joe and the people investigating have the power to do so. Character locations at the time of the murder can be conceivable handled in the interview process and even lead to flashbacks of the character explaining where they were and why.

The first post is only there to setup the events that will be happening. The episode itself will be covering the detective aspects of the crime instead of the CSI aspects of gathering the initial evidence and processing the scene of the crime.

There will be a lot more evidence to gather, stories to check out, and general detective work going on, but it's kind of necessary that we give the players the power to do the investigation or they will just be sitting back while that process takes place. From a reading perspective, I hope it works because the readers don't know where each character was during the crime. Those investigating have to figure all that out and make sure the story checks out. If we establish where everyone is at the start, it might remove some of the suspense that a character might be guilty. At least I hope it does. I haven't read a good mystery where we start off knowing exactly where all of the potential suspects were during the crime.

Hopefully that helps to clear things up. If not, let me know.

[Feathers]

From my point of view I think that works quite well.

Were we to pick up exactly at the point we dropped off, I'd have very little to do for what would probably turn into the first half of the episode. In fact...

'Galdar milled about as the ball disintegrated, the guests gathering in clusters to chew over the shocking events of the evening. He avoided his father as best he could, he certainly wasn't ready for that confrontation tonight!

In truth he wasn't sure he'd be any more ready no matter how long he waited but at least he would have a chance to gather his thoughts and get control of his feelings...a bit."

That and a return to his quarters would about sum up all that I could contribute from his perspective. I assume a normal duty pattern would then follow as the investigation was organised.

As Tolok was off eating a meal elsewhere on the station, that would be even less exciting and is something I really don't want to have to write about!

Even three days later both will be in the routine of duty rather than the thick of an investigation but at least they will have the chance to advance their personal story (if I can come up with one ;)) given that the initial furore will have died down.